New skills, new foods and new confidence in the kitchen: ideas to take you from weeknight suppers to weekend parties.

By Lynn Andriani

Photo: Thinkstock

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Use Your Cloth Napkins

Cotton or linen napkins will make any dinner feel a little fancier than usual, even if you're eating takeout. Using them also cuts down on waste, and you can do even more for the environment if you don't wash them after every meal (unless they're covered in the sauce from General Tso's chicken, that is). Assign each napkin to a different family member and keep track by giving each person their own color or using personalized or monogrammed napkin rings.